Only lazy people in Belgium do not criticise the Royal family. All the rest do. Yet another worried citizen tried to uncover "truths" behind shady dealings of the Royal family by capitalizing on his former employer. He just answered some questions, while making some money to pay a fine for fraud conviction. It is rather convient, isn't it? He can "feed" fairy tales about the purity of his intentions to extremely naive people. Do people employed by the Royal family sing any agreements of confidentiality? Can the Royal family sue him? Are there any more worried citizens with pure intentions, who wish to reveal some details about their Royal family?

Hi Al bina. I hope I misunderstand you, but what I read is that you think either the entire Belgian population criticizes the royal family or they are lazy. I'm sure that some of our posters would disagree with that sentiment. Not to mention, it's always tricky to stereotype and entire population.

On another note, I think that this all comes at a very convenient time for this author. Hopefully he will not choose to grace us with his presence.... What was he find for in the first place?

Noel Vaessens is a sleezy character, just kicking and trying to bite the hand that has been feeding him.

Nobody pays any attention to him, because he is not worth it, and everybody knows he bears a grudge.

Of course there are laws against slander in Belgium, but the problem is that the royal family has a tradition of not responding to any accusations.
Firstly, because the King cannot answer any accusations. The PM has to do so in his place.
Secondly, because you cannot do good anyway.
The reactions of Princess Astrid against the accusations of her former nanny were more of an exception than the rule for our RF.

Also, part of his "revelations" are simple repition of the opinion of some French Royalty magazine which has recently become more and more republican (I am not POINTing in any direction). It is ridiculous to the point of being sad.

I do apologise for losing my temper. It was rather short-sighted of me to state that most Belgians try to find faults with their Royal family. At the same time, I find books and articles that claim to uncover truths behind dealings of the Royal family with pure intentions irriatting. It seems to me that the Belgian Royal family can never get it right. I understand that Vaessens' "literary endevours" are not taken seriously. Still it is unpleasant to rehash the old stuff over and over again.

__________________"I never did mind about the little things"
Amanda, "Point of No Return"

Apparently according to Noel Vaessen Prince Laurent illegally dumped accu's and transformators of cars in the Tsjech republic while his foundation received money received money from the state to get these things recycled....

And this claim gets Vaessen into legal trouble (again). According to Vaessen the batteries have been brought to the Czech Republic by Marc Luypaerts, former employee of Laurentīs KINT foundation. Luypaerts announced he will file a lawsuit since all he did was driving to the Czech Republic to meet his wife who was running a hotel there. Het Belaang van Limburg quotes Luypaerts “All I have to say about Vaessen is that this is a mentally ill guy. If he writes a book he should stick to the truth instead of spreading lies.”
Well, mentally ill, greedy or just desperate for attention - Vaessen sure has shady methods. The accident with two Germans being killed definitely took place. Point of discussion is who was behind the wheel and hence is responsible for the accident. Police investigations came to the result that Albert was not the driver. Vaessen already mentioned this story in his first book. The spokesman of the RF then vehemently denied the story and Vaessen was very quick to come up with lame excuses. Now he re-animates the story again because he has the ultimate proof : the old mayor of Francorchamps dared to tell him the true story. The mayor should have learned that Albert was the driver from a garagist. Unfortunately the mayor died not long ago, but 007 Vaessen taped the conversation secretly with a mini camera attached to his body. I guess if someone wants to listen to the tape it will be conveniently broken or something like this. The garagist denies the story, so Vaessens has no real evidence for his claim.

Another example for Vaessenīs modus operandi: He claims Mathilde only got pregnant thanks to in vitro fertilisation (he spiced this up with suggesting Philippe is gay and lousy when it comes to women and the rest is left to everybody’s imagination) His proof for this IVF story. A doctor “who seems to know the Erasmus hospital (=birthplace of Elisabeth and her siblings) very well” told him so after attending a reading event of Vaessen. Utterly convincing.

All in all it seems as if Vaessens was eager to come up with the maximum rumour force again: Liechtenstein black money, that was an easy one these days; mentioning the persistent Opus Dei rumour and finally lots of sex and crime talk. How very innovative
And just like LadyLeana I donīt think the RF will react to his book let alone drag him to court, they rarely comment on gossip and the talkative colonel knows this. Vaessen is indeed not enjoying much credibility though, most newspaper articles on his book just describe him as bitter and mean man longing for revenge and Belgium’s biggest selling paper HLN did not even mention his book (yet).
Alas, it has to be said, Albert and his staff have been rather unfortunate in recruiting advisors for Laurent. Laurentīs former teacher Rudy Bogaerts (+) also took revenge for not being mentioned in Laurentīs CV and his stories are as sensational as the Vaessen stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyLeana

Also, part of his "revelations" are simple repition of the opinion of some French Royalty magazine which has recently become more and more republican (I am not POINTing in any direction).

... [snipped]
Another example for Vaessenīs modus operandi: He claims Mathilde only got pregnant thanks to in vitro fertilisation (he spiced this up with suggesting Philippe is gay and lousy when it comes to women and the rest is left to everybody’s imagination) His proof for this IVF story. A doctor “who seems to know the Erasmus hospital (=birthplace of Elisabeth and her siblings) very well” told him so after attending a reading event of Vaessen. Utterly convincing. ... [snipped]

Thanks johann for clearing that up, I find it hard to get this kind of info here in the Netherlands (and with limited time ). I didn't know just how sleazy mr. Vaessen actually was. Though I have to say the IVF-treatment was a joke I heard by the VRT-presentor on the day of Philippe's marriage to Mathilde too (but as a joke of course).

The best thing indeed is to ignore outrageous claims, just as the Dutch RF did with Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn and other loonies.

Mr.Vaessen needs to find a way to pay this debt off so he is making false claims with this book to get the money he needs.He is bitterly ridden and holds on to the hurt from the past when he could just try to move on forward.

The Belgian PRESS UNANIMOUSLY smashes this book as mean gossip only by that petty nitwit artist Vaessen,not worthy to be called
"a book" at all,full of unchecked and unreliable nonsens,lies actually.Use it for your cat....

Noel Vaessen is getting sued by Count Michel Didisheim. Vaessen said that Didesheim, who used to work at court, is a half brother of the king and an illegitemate son of King Leopold III. Didisheim is angry (understandably) and is going to sue.... more costs for Vaessen

Noel Vaessen is getting sued by Count Michel Didisheim. Vaessen said that Didesheim, who used to work at court, is a half brother of the king and an illegitemate son of King Leopold III. Didisheim is angry (understandably) and is going to sue.... more costs for Vaessen

I've read at least one bio of the late King Baudouin that asserts Count Michel Didisheim is indeed the the illegitimate son of Leopold III, fathered during a tryst with one of his wife Princess Astrid's ladies in waiting at the same time Astrid was pregnant with Baudouin.

Baudouin is alleged to have known that Didisheim was his half-brother.

Didishem has the Saxe-Coburg hairline, as well as the thick hair in the male line...he also has the Coburg nose in my opinion.

IF the story is true I certainly hope poor Astrid did not know that her husband had impregnated another woman at roughly the same time she conceived Baudouin. She seems to have been absolutely crazy about Leopold III.

Well, it is rather well known that Leopold III was rather fond of the ladies, and that he was rather productive too, also when he was married to Lilian. I think I heard stories about simular behavior while he was still married to Astrid. I suppose it was just how royal men were in these days, sadly.

Anyway, Vaessen will have a tough time proving that he was right of course, it seems almost impossible that he can do that. All the assumptions of Didesheim are based on rumours etc. not on any facts that can be traced. Still, we have to see how far the case will actually go, maybe the two will settle something...

I agree with you, CaliforniaDreamin. He looks a lot like his alleged brothers. Also, it's quite a coincidence that his book is about an illegitimate child... But that doesn't necessarily make Vaessen's statements true.

Anyway, other dirt from Vaessen (cuz that's what we're here for, right?): not only Albert II would allegedly rather not see his eldest son succeed him, even Boudewijn himself seemed to have had his doubts about Philippe (according to Vaessen, of course) and would have rather seen Laurent on the throne. Boudewijn is even rumoured to have said that Laurent is the true genius of the family, and apparently he had nearly decided to give up on Philippe and to focus on getting Laurent ready for the throne.

Which is of course easy to say when the one man who knows the truth about this matter isn't exactly in a position to speak.

I agree with you, CaliforniaDreamin. He looks a lot like his alleged brothers. Also, it's quite a coincidence that his book is about an illegitimate child... But that doesn't necessarily make Vaessen's statements true.

Anyway, other dirt from Vaessen (cuz that's what we're here for, right?): not only Albert II would allegedly rather not see his eldest son succeed him, even Boudewijn himself seemed to have had his doubts about Philippe (according to Vaessen, of course) and would have rather seen Laurent on the throne. Boudewijn is even rumoured to have said that Laurent is the true genius of the family, and apparently he had nearly decided to give up on Philippe and to focus on getting Laurent ready for the throne.

Which is of course easy to say when the one man who knows the truth about this matter isn't exactly in a position to speak.

(source: Dag Allemaal, which devoted some 4 pages to the book)

I will never in a million years believe that King Baudouin wanted Laurent on the throne...he reputedly changed the succession shortly before his death leaving Laurent LAST to inherit to make sure he never came anywhere near it...during his youth Laurent was wild and unstable...not close to any member of his family at all.

I will never in a million years believe that King Baudouin wanted Laurent on the throne...he reputedly changed the succession shortly before his death leaving Laurent LAST to inherit to make sure he never came anywhere near it...during his youth Laurent was wild and unstable...not close to any member of his family at all.

King Laurent I. thatīs indeed a nice bonmot by Vaessen. Last year this selfdeclared owner of the truth was describing the situation the very same way as CaliforniaDreamin. In the beginning of 2007 the tabloid Het Laatste Nieuws came up with three sensational articles on Laurentīs life as witnessed by Vaessen (seems he had an exclusive deal with HLN Back then). According to Vaessen himself he was hired in 1993 to temper Laurent. The latter should have gotten mad (literally) over the change of succession. Laurent was convinced it was all done to get him away from the throne, he didnīt believe a millisecond that gender equality was Baudouinīs motivation to change the law. Laurent was then seeking revenge and put together a dossier with embarrassing and hurtful facts about Albert (amongst other things also infos on Delphine). Rudy Bogaerts, his former teacher, should have supported Laurent in this detective work. Bogaerts was the perfect partner in crime since he felt humiliated for not being mentioned in Laurentīs CV. To make a long story short. Albert and Paola got very angry about Laurentīs actions, they thought their son was obsessed and Vaessen was hired as some kind of supernanny for Laurent. Vaessen claims he tried to reconcile the lost son with his parents. But that didnīt work out the way he wanted and Laurent slipped more and more into a depression and finally faked a suicide to get some attention. He then was conferred to a psychiatric hospital (this is definitely true) but fooled the doctors there. When he left the hospital not much had changed and he continued to humiliate his family, preferably during the remembrance services for King Baudouin, much to the disguise of the Luxembourgian branch of the family. Vaessen also described Laurent as unhappy and lonely but also rather clumsy person who thought of himself as a genius. Alas, he wasnt that clever and performed some very confusing talks with Nobel Prize winners and couldnt get a straight word out of his mouth when he met ministers. All in all no hint of Baudouin lobbying for King Laurent I.
Well nevermind that was last years talk and Vaessen certainly is not very impressed by his very own words anymore. Paper doesnīt blush and the pages had to be filled with whatever. And with all respect, Vaessen does come across as pretty weird person who takes his readers for a fool and I bet the next thing he does is claiming to get death threats, he also did the same thing when his first book was published.

As for Didesheim, a well respected person indeed, there are so many books, articles and interviews out there who hint that he is the son of Leopold III. Last time I read about this was in an interview with Mario Danneels only two months ago and Didesheim didnīt react at all. Most likely he is really fed up by all this now, but I also wonder if all this recent press talk also is about promoting his book. But perhaps Iīm just too sarcastic today.

King Laurent I. thatīs indeed a nice bonmot by Vaessen. Last year this selfdeclared owner of the truth was describing the situation the very same way as CaliforniaDreamin. In the beginning of 2007 the tabloid Het Laatste Nieuws came up with three sensational articles on Laurentīs life as witnessed by Vaessen (seems he had an exclusive deal with HLN Back then). According to Vaessen himself he was hired in 1993 to temper Laurent. The latter should have gotten mad (literally) over the change of succession. Laurent was convinced it was all done to get him away from the throne, he didnīt believe a millisecond that gender equality was Baudouinīs motivation to change the law. Laurent was then seeking revenge and put together a dossier with embarrassing and hurtful facts about Albert (amongst other things also infos on Delphine). Rudy Bogaerts, his former teacher, should have supported Laurent in this detective work. Bogaerts was the perfect partner in crime since he felt humiliated for not being mentioned in Laurentīs CV. To make a long story short. Albert and Paola got very angry about Laurentīs actions, they thought their son was obsessed and Vaessen was hired as some kind of supernanny for Laurent. Vaessen claims he tried to reconcile the lost son with his parents. But that didnīt work out the way he wanted and Laurent slipped more and more into a depression and finally faked a suicide to get some attention. He then was conferred to a psychiatric hospital (this is definitely true) but fooled the doctors there. When he left the hospital not much had changed and he continued to humiliate his family, preferably during the remembrance services for King Baudouin, much to the disguise of the Luxembourgian branch of the family. Vaessen also described Laurent as unhappy and lonely but also rather clumsy person who thought of himself as a genius. Alas, he wasnt that clever and performed some very confusing talks with Nobel Prize winners and couldnt get a straight word out of his mouth when he met ministers. All in all no hint of Baudouin lobbying for King Laurent I.
Well nevermind that was last years talk and Vaessen certainly is not very impressed by his very own words anymore. Paper doesnīt blush and the pages had to be filled with whatever. And with all respect, Vaessen does come across as pretty weird person who takes his readers for a fool and I bet the next thing he does is claiming to get death threats, he also did the same thing when his first book was published.

As for Didesheim, a well respected person indeed, there are so many books, articles and interviews out there who hint that he is the son of Leopold III. Last time I read about this was in an interview with Mario Danneels only two months ago and Didesheim didnīt react at all. Most likely he is really fed up by all this now, but I also wonder if all this recent press talk also is about promoting his book. But perhaps Iīm just too sarcastic today.

My goodness...this is all even worse than I suspected johann! I had no idea that Laurent had done a stint in mental facility but it doesn't surprise me...it's really a miracle that he got someone as gentle and down to earth as Claire Coombs to take him on, if you ask me!

Did he really make a scene at Baudouin's funeral? Because I saw one photo of him at the funeral and he was crying but otherwise he looked okay....